Critic's Review
Google has created the best search engine ever known to man; as a long time computer geek who worked on the internet long before there was an internet I can appreciate what they've done. But man, they have no idea how to run a web site. They bought Zagat for a cool $150 Million and have turned a semi-useful service into a complete disaster. Zagat has always been proof that IQ isn't cumulative, but Google has taken it to a new level. The Jet Runway Cafe has a Zagat food rating of 26, which is 2 points higher than Andrew Carmellini's Locanda Verde in NYC; one of the best restaurants anywhere. I'd like an explanation, one day, of how a "restaurant" that isn't even open for dinner gets a listing at all.
Of course I've been to Jet before, so I know better than to rely on Zagat for my info, but while driving up I couldn't help thinking about the poor guy driving a Budget Rental; wife sitting shotgun with android cell phone in hand, saying something like "Let's go to Jet Runway Cafe; it's top rated". Although I've been here before, it's not an easy place to find. Luckily my Navigation System knew where it was. It took me on a wild goose chase on the way out, but that's another post for another time.
I realized that it was almost 2:30, and that they close at 3pm. I was hoping it wouldn't be one of those deals where they were mopping the floors before I got my food.
Sidewalk Ambiance is non-existent; the pictures on their website are only relevant if you happen to arrive by plane. The entrance is warehouse all the way.
They have a hostess stand, but no real hostess. After standing there for a few minutes, a girl who turned out to be my server just told me to sit anywhere, despite the "Wait to Be Seated" sign.
The place hasn't changed much in 4 years; they still have big TVs that are showing aviation themed ads. Pretty dead at this hour.
I ordered an Iced tea and went through the menu. After eliminating the Tacos, Sandwiches and Burgers, there weren't too many choices left. I thought it was interesting that the "Steak Chimichurri", "Herb Marinated Chicken" and "Roasted Pork" all had exactly the same accompaniments. So much for creativity.
The tea arrived and I ordered the Steak Chimichurri, medium rare.
They cut lemon wedges into 1/3s; more cost-cutting restaurant tricks. We'll call this the lemon nugget. I got about 5 nuggets, so almost 2 wedges.
The big pull here is the view, assuming you like private jets. I was the only english speaking person in the place (at least as a first language); and it wasn't a well-dressed crowd, so it seems to be more of a watering hole for employees at the airport than owners of the planes.
Music is borderline offensive, with Katy Perry, Hoodfellas and Britt Nicole torturing me during my visit.
The food came out in 11 minutes.
The banana chips covering the dish were unfortunate. I don't eat fried bananas or plantains. After picking them off I had a better idea of what I was dealing with.
Kind of a mish-mosh of unrelated flavors. First, the dish is mis-named, because the green stuff was not chimichurri sauce. It tasted mustard based; very vinegary. The "grilled" onions were actually caramelized; the sweetness of which were an odd mix with the sauce. The roasted vegetables didn't belong on this plate; I don't really think of eating squash and green beans when I'm eating rice and beans. The black beans had a cumin taste, but they weren't quite cooked long enough and they were probably out of a can.
The steak was cooked properly, although I was expecting chimichurri and what they gave me wasn't nearly what I was hoping for.
One thing here is that they don't close shop at 3pm sharp; while they were topping off the salt and pepper shakers, people who came in at 2:50 were seated and the kitchen was still going at 3:15.
My server, however, was on some sort of break. This has been happening regularly lately; maybe it's because I generally eat lunch late, but servers need to realize that people have stuff to do, and that time is money. It's just as important to deliver the check promptly as it is to deliver the food. After 10 minutes I asked another server to fetch my server and ask her to give me my check.
It wouldn't have been so bad if I didn't have an empty glass.
As I was leaving, Parrell Williams' "Happy Song" came on.
Conclusion
The proof that this place is a culinary fraud is that all of their entrees come with rice, beans and roasted vegetables, and their apparent belief that any green colored sauce can be passed off as chimichurri sauce. It's not bad food and prices aren't outrageous; everything here is about $2 more than it should be which can be attributed to fancy marketing. Going back and reading my review from my fledgling days I see that their breakfast was equally misrepresented as including "home fries".
A clean,comfortable space that would be better if they just served straight up food instead of trying to pretend that they're some sort of trendy eatery. Don't believe the Zagat Ratings; there's nothing outstanding about the place.
Review 11/3/2010
I've seen the Jet Cafe at a few functions; the most recent was the Pairings event at the Performing Arts Center. I didn't care for the pulled pork sandwiches they were giving out, but I felt like going out to breakfast today so I thought I'd give them a try.
The place is literally in a hanger, with an entrance that fits the bill.
The inside has a clean urban look, with exposed A/C ducts and modern decor. There are big windows with views of, yes you guessed it; the runways.
The menu has a lot of egg and omelet choices, but when I saw the skirt steak for $11 I just had to have it. I did see one thing on the menu I didn't like; they give you free coffee only before 10am. Why is that? The place is empty at 10:15, so why punish the few who do roll in a bit late?
This is another small coffee cup place but I'm getting used to that. After about 10 minutes the food came out on a big, heavy square platter.
Its a pretty nice sized steak for the price. I'd ordered it medium rare and it certainly wasn't overdone. it was a pretty thick cut as skirts go; a very flavorful breakfast cut. They make the eggs in a small pan whichI don't really like as it tends to burn the edges a bit; but overall they were fine. Potatoes are more roasted than home fries; they're browned on the outside and soft in the center.
About halfway through I remembered that the menu said that bread pudding was included with every entree; but I had none with my order. I asked my server if I was supposed to get it and she quickly got some for me. It was sort of like a well cooked blueberry muffin; nothing worth making a fuss over.
All in all, its a pretty nice place for breakfast at a pretty good price, particularly before 10am when you don't have to pay $2.00 for the coffee.